War is hell on veterans' job prospects

Not only trauma, but training doesn't fit with civilian world

Published: 02/25/2013 at 4:12 PM

(REUTERS) — Military veterans who have been deployed overseas for prolonged periods struggle to find work because of the traumas of war, as well as training that does not readily translate into the civilian world, according to research by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

High joblessness could not be explained by the business cycle and by demographic differences between new veterans and civilians, two Fed economists said in a paper published on Monday.

“Individuals who return from wartime service may suffer from a variety of issues when returning home that can affect their employment prospects,” senior economist R. Jason Faberman and senior associate economist Taft Foster wrote in the paper.